Conference programme

Speech by the High Commissioner

Speech
by Mr. James R. Wright

High
Commissioner for Canada

BACS
2010 Conference

Cambridge, April 7, 2010

Bonsoir
mesdames et messieurs.

Good
evening professors, academics and students.

It is a
pleasure for me to be here in Cambridge
for this your 35th annual conference. There are many familiar faces – and a large
group of new ones – always a good sign.
I have been impressed by the wide variety of subject matter being
covered at this BACS conference. And I
want to congratulate you all – and in particular your president, Susan Hodgett
and her team - for the way in which you have put together the programme.

The
conference theme, built on the idea of “democracy as a work in progress”, is
an enormous one. But an important
one. Every country needs to understand
the nature of its democracy: where it has come from, where it is going, and how
it is being expressed. For countries like Canada – that takes their
international role as a defender and promoter of democracy, human rights and
the rule of law seriously – this is doubly so.

And it
is a particularly good theme for this year as Canada is playing a leading role on
the world stage, putting into practice our foreign policy which in many ways is
the expression of our democracy and our values beyond our borders.

In
February and March, Vancouver and Whistler in British Columbia hosted the Olympic and
Paralympic Winter Games. Thousands of athletes, visitors,
coaches, officials, sports fans and media from all over the world were on hand
to take part in a modern celebration and spectacle that has grown well beyond a
sporting event.

Canada
welcomed the world to share in our excitement for winter sport and through the
world-wide media coverage, millions of people got a glimpse, not only of the awesome
beauty of the west coast of our country, but also an appreciation of Canadian
values, such as diversity, inclusiveness, fair play, respect for the
environment and warm hospitality.

From the biggest sporting event of the year, we move
on to the world’s foremost diplomatic summits: the G8 and the G20. This year, Canada holds the G8 presidency and is jointly
with South Korea
leading the G20 process that began here in the UK last April. In June, Prime Minister Harper will chair the
G8 Summit in Muskoka in Ontario, to be
followed immediately after by the broader G20 Summit in Toronto. Both summits are opportunities for Canada to take
a leading role in addressing key global issues, and in promoting Canadian values and
interests on the world stage.

We continue to face serious
threats to global security and stability, and Canada has outlined a number of specific
areas of focus for the G8 agenda this year: including nuclear proliferation, strengthening
the Afghanistan-Pakistan border area, addressing fragile and failing states and
working to improve maternal and child health in the developing world.

At last week’s G8 Foreign
Ministers Meeting in Gatineau,
Quebec, Minister Cannon announced
the G8
Afghanistan Pakistan Border Region Prosperity Initiative which focuses on one
of the least economically developed regions in the world. Improving the
socio-economic situation in this region is an important step in building
community resilience against violent extremism that is fueling the conflict in Afghanistan.

In Afghanistan
we are working with the UK,
the US
and our other allies to enhance global security, to improve the lives of the
Afghan people and to help them rebuild their country as a stable, democratic
and self-sufficient society. The 3,000 Canadian soldiers
and civilians who are engaged on the ground each and every day are tangible
demonstrations of the strength of our commitment. But our engagement in Afghanistan
involves much more than military intervention. Canada is spending close to $2
billion in development assistance. While Canada’s military
mission will end in 2011 – there will be ongoing diplomatic and developmental
engagement -- and our goal is clear: to leave Afghanistan to the Afghans. An Afghanistan
that is better governed, more secure, more confident and more prosperous.

As well as helping to improve
the lives of Afghans and strengthening regional stability, Canada’s G8 aim
is to tackle how, together, we can improve the coherence and effectiveness of
our efforts in helping other vulnerable countries.

As President of the G8, Canada is
championing a major initiative to improve the health of women and children in
the world’s poorest regions, two key millennium development goals set by the UN.
Each year, 500,000 women lose their lives during pregnancy or childbirth
and 9 million children die before their 5th birthday. Far too many lives
have already been lost for want of relatively simple and inexpensive health
care solutions.

The cost of clean water, basic
health care and better nutrition, as well as the training of health workers to
care for women and to deliver babies, is within the reach of any country in the
G8. Setting a global agenda for
improving maternal and child health is ambitious, but working with other
nations and aid agencies on the ground makes it an achievable goal.

On non-proliferation, 2010
will be a pivotal year given that President Obama is hosting next week a
Nuclear Security Summit which will focus on the threat of nuclear terrorism.
This is followed by the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty 10 year review
conference in May. And at the same time,
the G8 is working diligently with others to pressure Iran
and North Korea
to stop pursuing their worrisome nuclear ambitions.

When Canada last
hosted the G8 in 2002, we initiated a program called the Global Partnership
where G8 countries allocated 20 billion dollars over 10 years to reduce the
spread of weapons and materials of mass destruction. The program has delivered
real results, through the destruction of stockpiles of chemical and biological
weapons, the decommissioning of old nuclear submarines and finding alternative
employment for former weapons scientists in the former Soviet
Union. It has been a tremendous success making the world a safer
place, and a success that the G8 can build on.

When you talk about vulnerable
or fragile states Haiti
comes quickly to mind. Canada
is already playing a leading role in helping Haiti deal with the aftermath of
the catastrophic earthquake that has claimed so many lives.

At last week’s Donor
conference in New York, Canada pledged $400 million toward Haiti’s
reconstruction. Canadian Prime Minister, Stephen Harper, when he was recently
in Port-au-Prince announced that Canada will
help construct a Temporary Government Administrative Base for the Government of
Haiti. The base will accommodate key Haitian ministries and other public
servants and will serve as the operational centre from which they can more
effectively manage and coordinate the hard work ahead.

A few devastating minutes in Haiti’s history
will take years to rebuild. We now need to look beyond the immediate need for
food, water, shelter and medical assistance; and the New
York conference was the first step in creating a long term
development plan for Haiti,
focusing on ways to help the Haitian people meet the current challenges and
prepare for the difficult task of long term stabilization and reconstruction.

On the G20 agenda, Canada is well
placed to lead. Last year we all stood
on the brink of a global financial crisis. Britain, as last year’s G20 chair,
helped to keep us focused on the immediate task of stepping in with significant
fiscal and monetary support for our economies, and financial support for the
global financial system. In 2010, we
face the equally important task of responsibly winding down that support,
putting in place reforms to strengthen the global financial architecture, and
delivering on the commitments that have been put in place through the G20
process over the last year. Canada,
with our economic house in pretty good order, will share both our experience
and the values of fiscal prudence and smart regulation that have shielded us
from the worst of the world economic turmoil.

And as if that wasn’t enough for one year, we are mounting a vigorous effort to gain international support for a
Canadian non-permanent seat on theUN
Security Council for the 2011-2012 term. The case for Canada on the
UN Security Council is solid. Canada’s
credentials on international security, governance, human rights, and peacebuilding
are as strong as ever. We have served
about every ten years on the Security Council, and we hope to continue in that
fashion contributing to the international system.

So in
many ways this is Canada’s
year. We have stepped up to the plate and are engaging in focused ways on the
range of key challenges facing the world. A conference like this one, that seeks to step
back and look at the nature of our democracy, is therefore very timely. Canada’s actions on the world stage
are rooted in our values at home that are put to the test each day as we
develop and grow as a democratic society.
In many ways Canada
is home to the world – we have opened our arms to people from all across the
globe to come to Canada
and build a new life, while also helping to build our country. And so taking a step back and looking at the
society and the democracy that we have built together – indeed at the idea of Canada – is not only a laudable
endeavour, but a necessary exercise.

So I
raise a glass to you all as you share the fruits of your important research
into better understanding Canada.
It is a pleasure to be here, and I wish you a successful conference.